Colourful Quimper is the oldest city in Brittany and many of its handsome medieval buildings remain intact, making it an attractive stop on the tourist trail. But it wasn’t exactly throbbing with life when we arrived at the start of our week-long holiday in the north-west of France. In fact, much of Quimper had shut…
Author: Stephen
San Francisco: A walk to the Ferry Building
On a sweltering September day we discovered the beautiful Filbert Steps and other San Francisco landmarks on a walk to the famous Ferry Building. Our stay coincided with a rare late summer heatwave, with temperatures on some days hitting the 90s, but we weren’t going to let the weather put us off exploring the city….
A week in Mykonos
We spent a glorious week in May on the Greek island of Mykonos, enjoying the quiet of low season before the holidaymakers arrived in droves. But there was no avoiding the vast cruise ships and their armies of passengers. Most days the ships appeared in the harbour of Mykonos Town, dumping wave after wave of…
Skiing in Ischgl, Austria
Back when I had youth on my side, apres ski was as integral to my winter holiday as the skiing. Shame, then, that I didn’t discover the Austrian resort of Ischgl in my 20s. Back then I could’ve stayed up until the early hours, swilling lager and dancing to 70s and 80s disco hits, as…
From Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon by helicopter
It’s a tour we’ll never forget – a helicopter trip to the West Rim of the spectacular Grand Canyon in Nevada, the Hualapai Indian Reservation and the famous glass SkyWalk. It revealed our planet at its most dramatic and delivered the most awesome of panoramas. But it did mean an early start from our hotel…
A visit to the Château de Keriolet, Brittany
In the southern depths of Brittany is the French seaside town of Concarneau, a long-established fishing port famous for its delicious sardines. Its historic, walled old town, the ville close, is full of character and its beaches are hugely popular in the height of summer. Not that we were able to enjoy them, thanks to…
By the beach: Castiglione della Pescaia, Italy
Tuscany had been tiring. We’d seen the sights and celebrated at a friend’s wedding, so once all the drama was over we needed somewhere to recover. We found it in the seaside town of Castiglione della Pescaia. How different it was from Florence, Siena and Pisa, where armies of holidaymakers had tested my temper to the…
Zaha Hadid’s stunning Innsbruck railway
The late great architect Zaha Hadid designed some of the very best modern buildings. Her aquatic centre in Stratford’s Olympic Park, to take just one example, is the greatest of the London 2012 venues. But it’s odd that her reptilian, ultra-modern and oh-so organic designs are found scattered across the seemingly conservative Austrian city of…
A return to the Cutty Sark, London
The Cutty Sark is one of the most famous ships in the world. I first visited her as a boy on an outing to London and although I’d lived not far from her over the years, it wasn’t until the ship had undergone a multi-million pound restoration that I returned. The famous tea cutter has been…
The Partnach Gorge, Garmisch-Partenkirchen
If I was given the chance to live abroad, the Alps is where I’d buy my dream home. They’re perfect for sunny walks in summer, skiing in winter and natural wonders all year round. Natural wonders like the Partnach Gorge at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany. We spent a week in the Bavarian town late one summer (by coincidence…
In winter: Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia
We’re a pair of old romantics. We visit cities in the middle of winter in the hope of finding snow that’s knee-deep on the ground, of discovering cosy bars with roaring fires. It’s why we went to Ljubljana, the modest capital of Slovenia. The old Communist bloc country was indeed dressed in snow. In parts…
The Vasa – Stockholm’s star attraction
I remember as a kid watching the Tudor warship Mary Rose being rescued from the depths of the Solent on TV, and several years later visiting Portsmouth to see her skeletal remains. Hers was a remarkable story of survival beneath the seabed, but she’s not a patch on the Vasa. On show in her own…
The magical desert of Wadi Rum, Jordan
There are some places on our delicate planet that live long in the memory thanks to their sheer beauty. The desert of Wadi Rum in Jordan is one such place. One early spring evening, perched on a rock high above the desert floor, we watched the sun go down on the far horizon. We stood…
Hello world…
Welcome to my travel blog, where I share with you the places I’ve been to, the places I want to go to and any other random thoughts I have about holidays and travel. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy going away on my hols! Stephen